


count your blessings

by rxbron



Category: Emmerdale
Genre: Angst, M/M, Mentions of Cancer, Sad with a Happy Ending, You might cry
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-12-30
Updated: 2017-01-02
Packaged: 2018-09-13 11:42:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,590
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9122044
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rxbron/pseuds/rxbron
Summary: what will happen when chas confides in robert on her recent discovery?what will aaron do when he finds out?





	1. this isn't fun

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you guys enjoy this chaptered fic. I've spent a long time researching before I started writing this fic and I think I've written it to the best of my ability. I haven't personally experienced the topic of this fic and I apologise if you think I could have written it differently. Please feel free to message me if you think this. This inspiration for this fic was from my love of Robert/Chas scenes and I hope you guys will enjoy this fic as much as I have enjoyed writing it!

Robert stirred conscious when he heard hurried footsteps pass his and Aaron's bedroom door out in the hallway. He blinked open his eyes slowly, letting them adjust to the darkness of the bedroom around him.

Aaron was still curled up beside him; his legs tangled with Robert’s and his back resting against the man's chest with soft snores falling from his lips.

Robert silently cursed his light sleeping and how a pin dropping could probably wake him up.

He pulled Aaron a little closer to him and laid his head down onto the pillows, almost asleep again until he heard the bathroom door slam shut. He rolled his eyes at the disturbance and felt the younger lad shift beside him.

It was probably Chas and Charity coming home after their first night out in months and one of them making what they thought was a quiet trip to the bathroom.

Earlier on in the night, Chas had suggested that they should head into town, tired of hearing her cousin complain they never have any fun anymore.

Charity wouldn't have brought it up if she hadn’t spotted Robert and Aaron returning home, smiling and laughing after Robert had treated his fiancé of a meal out.

They all laughed at how Charity couldn't hide her jealously as soon as the two lovers walked into the pub but it wasn’t long until the two women hopped into a taxi and were heading into town, letting Robert and Aaron lock their pub up (Robert made sure to tell the women that they owe them one.) 

Unlike her cousin, Chas wasn’t jealous. It gave her happiness just watching her son be happy. It was something she didn’t see often so whenever Aaron turned up with a smile on his face, Chas would cherish it.

It would be her dying wish, if she had one; to see her only child with a smile on his face before she went.

She never told Aaron that but deep down she knew Aaron knew how she felt about him being happy, especially after she became aware of everything that happened to her boy in the past.

Robert glanced over towards the door to see the bright hall light seeping in between the gaps around the door frame.

Pulling up the sheets around Aaron's cold shoulder, Robert laid back down to go back to sleep again but when he heard more footsteps, this time heavier, pass the door along with a hasty knock on the bathroom door and a deep, masculine voice call out "Chas", Robert was far from being able to go back to sleep.

_Did she actually bring home a man? Did Charity bring home a man too? Will I have to have breakfast with these men in the morning?_

The questions running through Robert's head were interrupted when he heard Chas’ voice over the sound of a flushing toilet.

"No, go away!"

Robert sat up slowly so he could hear the exchange between the two better.

"C'mon Chas, let me in." The deep masculine voice replied with another knock at the bathroom door.

Robert bit his lip, uncertain what to do. He turned back to his sleeping fiancé, to see he hadn't yet heard his mother and her new acquaintance.

The man knocked at the door again and called for Chas but in a quieter tone this time.

After deciding a word or two with this man will answer his questions, Robert stepped out of bed carefully.

While looking for a jumper in the dark, he heard the bathroom door unlock and presumably Chas’ feet hurrying past their door again, with the man hot on her heels calling after her.

Robert picked up a jumper and walked over to the door, pressing his ear against the wood.

"I want you to leave...now!"

"Don't be like that, Chas. I'm worried about you!"

"Well don't be! There's nothing wrong with me!"

"But the-"

"Get out!"

Chas' voice rose to a level where Robert was pretty sure that whole pub probably had heard and seconds later, he then heard what seemed like Chas pushing this man down the stairs and out the backdoor, locking it shut after him.

Concerned had took over Robert now. _Why was the man worried about Chas? Why was Chas so upset? Did he hurt her?_ He definitely had to find some answers now.

Pulling the jumper over his head, quickly and tying the strings of his pyjamas bottoms, he opened the bedroom door quietly after checking over Aaron once more (he was snoring louder now).

When he fully closed the door, he looked behind him to find Liv in one of her brother's hoodie, across the hall outside her door with a seriously annoyed and tired looking face.

"Who's making all the noise?" She grumbled, walking over towards him and took a look down the stairs. Robert sighed.

"That's what I'm trying to find out." He began walking towards the staircase and froze when he heard glass shatter from what sounded like the kitchen.

“What was that?”

He quickly turned to Liv.

"Go back to your room. I'll let you know who it is, okay?" He whispered, pushing her gently back towards her room.

Liv shook her head.

"No, Robert! What if it's a serial killer or something?! I’ll get Aaron." She began walking towards his room when a loud moan from Charity's room made the pair freeze again.

Robert wrinkled his face up. The thought of moving out popped into his head and he silently thanked his fiancé again. Looking at Liv, it seemed she had done the same thing.

"It's not a serial killer, Liv. It's Chas. I think they had some male company tonight and... things didn't go to plan for her..." He murmured, hoping the young girl didn’t catch how uncertain he sounded.

"I think Charity's plan is going well..." Liv chuckled, scrunching up her face in disgust.

Robert chuckled.

"By the sounds of it, I think so too..." He paused and looked back downstairs.

"I'll be back up in a minute, try and go back to sleep...if you can." He murmured, hearing another moan from Charity’s room, now from her male companion.

Liv nodded and quickly ran back into her room, covering her ears.

Robert quickly made his way downstairs and into the pub's backroom to find Chas leaning against the kitchen counter in her dressing gown with her back facing Robert.

Robert swallowed and looked around to see pieces of shattered glass along with some magazines and fruit lying around under the kitchen table. He bit his lip, hearing Chas sniffle.

"Are you alright..?" He slowly asked, taking a few steps closer to her.

She didn't reply or move but from the moonlight shining through the window he could see her knuckles turning white with the harsh clutch to the counter.

Robert cleared his throat; awkwardness, now filling the room.

"It was his lost..." He offered, referring to the man who was thrown out.

She again, kept silent.

He sighed.

"C'mon Chas...you'll find yourself a man, someday. Charity must have her bloke above blindfolded if he's still with her." He chuckled at his own joke but rather than a laugh, Chas just sniffled again.

He looked at the small clock near the picture frame which held an old picture of her and Aaron. It was nearly 5:30am.

"Why don't I make you a brew?” He paused, thinking. 

“You'll catch your death down here...go on, I’ll drop it up to you." He walked over to Chas and turned away from her to put on the kettle.

He grabbed a tea bag from the jar and spoon from a drawer but when he went to pick up Chas' favourite mug from the draining board on the sink; he dropped the mug back down.

Chas shakily stood there with tears, mixed with her mascara running down her flushed cheeks.

"Chas, what happened? Did he hurt you? Aar-“ Robert went to call out for her son but was suddenly cut off by her.  
  
"I-I found a lump, Robert."


	2. i'll support you

"I-I found a lump, Robert."

When the words left Chas' lips, Robert grew cold; an intense numbness ran from his head down to his toes, preventing any movement of his limbs. His increasing heart rate was the only thing he could hear until Chas' voice suddenly filled his ears.

"Robert!" He blinked his eyes back to reality after hearing her voice and the click of her fingers.

"Chas..." He began, clutching to the kitchen counter himself. He shook his head and looked around the room, utterly speechless.

Chas left out a defeated sigh and wiped her cheeks with the sleeve of her dressing gown.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have told ya..." She regretfully whispered before her bottom lip started to quiver.

"No, Chas. I'm sorry...it's-it's just the shock, I..." Robert swallowed the lump in his throat and finally had the guts to look at his future mother-in-law.

She was trying her best to not to cry but when she met Robert's eyes she began crying, covering her face with embarrassment.

Robert had experienced heartbreaks but none like the heartbreak he was experiencing now. He immediately pulled her into his chest, letting her hands dig into his shoulders, her tears soak into jumper and her words cry into his ear.

"W-What am I g-gonna do, R-Robert?"

After a couple of minutes, Robert tried to calm her, whispering the count to ten in between her sobs that rocked the both of them.

Robert nervously chewed his bottom lip and smoothed his hand down her back like he did to his fiancé when he was having a bad day. Then she began counting with him.  

"Seven."

Chas’ sobs began to calm down.

"Eight."

She took a deep breath in.

"Nine."

Then a shaky breath out.

"Ten."

Chas slowly pulled away from Robert's hold, keeping her hands on his shoulders for a moment.

"I-Is that what you do with A-Aaron?" She whispered, removing a hand to dry her wet stained cheeks.

Robert gave her a small nod and reached behind her to the table to grab a tissue from the box, handing it to her.

Chas bit her lip and took a step back from Robert, using the tissue.

"D-Does it work for h-him?" Her voice was low, slightly afraid of his answer. Anything negative would set her off again.

Robert gave her a soft smile, quickly blinking away the forming tears in his eyes.

"I think it does."

Chas nodded, folding over her tissue to pat at her cheeks again.

"Like mother like son."

They both laughed at her comment, it easing the sombre atmosphere.

"Could do with that brew, now..."

\---  
  
Robert watched Chas circle around the rim of her mug with her finger before taking a small sip of the steaming hot liquid. He did the same, enjoying the warmth of the tea travel down inside chest.

"Charity dragged us into this bar...you know the one with the red doors and green walls?" She asked Robert, chuckling afterwards when she thought the memory of her cousin dragging her down the footpath to the bar, bumping into every second person that she passed.

Robert nodded, having already popped into that bar with Aaron a few times.

"Yeah, it's quite the bar..." He muttered, remembering the last time he went in with Aaron.

The bright coloured lights and loud music finally confirmed his decision to never go in there again after that visit. Robert was pretty sure the number of people in the club that night was greater than the number of people the club was built for.

Chas smiled widely at his comment, nodding her head in agreement.

"After we got out first round of drinks, Charity left her purse at the bar and this bloke told her and she was ever so _grateful_..." Robert gave her smile when she imitated Charity.

“When Charity was done flirting with him, he came back with his friend with a round of drinks for us. His friend was the nicest, kindest bloke I've spoken to in a long time..." Chas' voice lowered and she took another sip of her tea.

Robert didn't reply, not wanting to interrupt her.

"A few drinks later, Charity wanted to take her bloke back here and I didn't feel like doing that at all with Ben, the friend..." She shook her head.

"Ben didn't feel like that either but neither of us wanted to leave each other so I invited him back here for one last drink." Chas paused again to take a deep breath.

"After he finished his drink, I offered him the couch to kip on for the night or my floor above and he said he'd take the floor. So after we make up a bed for him...out of nowhere kissed me. There in my room. He kissed me and both of our minds had definitely changed." Chas laughed, making Robert laugh too.  

"Uh... while I was taking off my upper clothing, I...uh, found the l-lump." She briefly indicated to her left breast with a point of her finger.

Robert bit his lip, unsure what to say.

"I freaked out...freaked him out." She whispered, wiping away a stray tear.

Robert nodded, the earlier argument between Chas and Ben making sense.

"That's why you threw him out?" Robert murmured, looking down at his tea.

Chas nodded. "I felt so bad afterwards. He was only worried about me...oh, Robert I’ve messed things up...what am I going do I do?" Chas' fears resurfaced and she started crying into her tissue.

Robert placed a hand over her arm.

"Forget about Ben for now, Chas. You need to see a doctor...as soon as possible." He whispered.

She nodded, knowing she had to. "I know."

Robert finished his tea, letting Chas think quietly to herself for a moment.

"D-Don't tell, Aaron...or anyone for that matter." She suddenly said as if she had forgotten about her son until that very moment.

Robert's jaw slackened.

 "What? You have to, Chas. He needs to know about this so he can support and...and help you." He was shocked with Chas' decision not to tell her son.

Chas shook her head.

"No. It's the last thing he needs right now. He's in a good place, Robert. I don't want to upset him."

"You’ll upset him by not telling him. Don't you want him there with you, Chas? Things will be much easier with having him by your side..." Robert tried, desperately.

There was no way he would be able keep this information from his fiancé.

"I'll tell him if I get bad news, okay? He doesn't need the stress right now." Chas got up and poured the remainder of her now cold tea down the sink.

Robert sighed in defeat.

"Okay, okay." He mumbled, knowing he couldn’t argue this one out.

"Let me come to the doctors with you at least. You can't do this alone, Chas."

Chas pulled her robe more tightly around her with a nod.

"Yeah, okay...I’ll ring them after breakfast." She replied, the thought of it suddenly daunting her.

Robert gave a squeeze to her arm, lightly.

"Whatever happens, we'll deal with it okay?" He murmured.

She nodded.

“Thanks Robert. I don’t think I would have known what to do if it weren’t for you...”

Chas gave him a quick smile before heading back up to her bedroom, knowing she won’t get any sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. I'm not sure if I will continue writing this fic...feedback would be greatly appreciated and help me decide if I will continue or not... Thanks for reading x


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